5 Reasons Why Smoking A Cigar Is Relaxing

A fairly common question asked of cigar smokers – why do we do it? Why smoke a cigar instead of a cigarette?

There can be a number of reasons why someone might decide to reach for a cigar over a cigarette. Maybe you only feel like smoking occasionally and you want more from your cigarette, maybe you want to have something extra special to smoke for a special occasion, maybe you don’t really like the taste of cigarettes, or maybe you just want to try something a bit different.

Whatever the reason for trying your first cigar, one of the most common responses to why we continue smoking them, is that smoking a cigar can be a very soothing and relaxing experience – especially when compared with smoking a standard cigarette.

But what is the difference? Why do people generally find smoking cigars relaxing?

Here are 5 possible reasons:

1. Whereas a standard cigarette typically only takes a few minutes to smoke, Cigars can take anywhere between 30 minutes and 2 hours to smoke, depending on the size. This time can be used as time away from an otherwise chaotic or demanding lifestyle, or as an easy excuse to put your feet up in your favourite armchair and enjoy a glass of your favourite…something. Smoking a single cigarette simply does not allow for this kind of relaxation.

2. Many cigar smokers will choose to enjoy their favourite cigar during rare moments of rest. There’s nothing quite like returning home after a exhausting day at work and indulging just a little. Much like a cold beer, a cigar can serve as a guilty pleasure at the end of a long day.

3. Medically speaking, cigar smoking supplies the body with nicotine, which is a known chemical relaxant. The average cigar contains between 100 to 200mg of nicotine, compared with 10mg per average cigarette. Meaning you would need to smoke 10 to 20 cigarettes to get the same amount of relaxant as one cigar.

4. Many people who smoke cigars will only do so as a rare treat on a special occasion or as a reward for personal success – perhaps as an alternative, or in addition to a glass of champagne or a quality scotch. This builds an association between happy times and smoking cigars, the smoker is then reminded of these good times every time they indulge in their favourite cigar.

5. Cigars taste good! That’s right, it’s the simple pleasures that often provide the greatest comforts. Enjoying a cigar over a cigarette purely for the taste is very common, and certainly adds to the relaxing experience. Further to this fact is that the flavour of cigars have a lot of subtlety, much like coffee, wine or spirits, and being able to detect these subtle differences is in itself very rewarding.

There are of course many more reasons; this list is far from comprehensive, but will hopefully shed some light on why someone might find smoking a cigar a relaxing experience.